[This unedited press release is made available courtesy of Gamasutra and its partnership with notable game PR-related resource GamesPress.]

Don’t Panic! In a special celebration of all things
“Hitchhiker’s”, BBC Radio 4 Extra is bringing
listeners the brand new 30
th Anniversary Edition of the Hitchhiker’s Guide
to the Galaxy Game online and broadcasting series one and two,
‘The Primary and Secondary Phase”, on the radio.

Both will launch on Saturday 8
th March 2014, thirty-six years to the day since
Hitchhiker’s first ever radio broadcast and thirty years
since the invention of the award winning game.

The global multi-media success story that is "Hitchhiker's"
started life as a BBC Radio 4 series in March 1978. The original
scripts by the late Douglas Adams went on to spawn a series of
novels, a feature film, at least three stage shows, a TV series, a
collection of comic books – and various towels.

The game was originally devised in 1984 by the book’s
author Douglas Adams and Steve Meretzky from Infocom. Notoriously
difficult and full of oddities it was one of the best-selling games
of its era
.

The 20th anniversary edition of the game launched on Radio
4’s website in 2004. Over 3million moves were made in the
game in its first 3 days of launch and over 50million moves had
been played within six months. It went on to win a BAFTA for
‘Best Online Entertainment’ and to this day some fans
of the game can still be found playing this ageing version
online.

The 30
th Anniversary specially updated version of the game
will allow users to share their achievements with friends over
social media via the official twitter feed @h2g2game.

The world’s most devious game will now be in High
Definition thanks to refreshed illustrations and graphics. It is a
web-based game and will be accessible via Radio 4 Extra’s
website. Players can take the game on the move as it will be
compatible with tablets and other internet enabled devices.

BBC Radio 4 Extra also proudly presents series one and two of
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy on air. It has been over
10 years since these programmes were last heard on BBC Radio and
they perfectly accompany the game. Actions within the game follow
the plot of the radio series and some puzzles are only solvable by
players with knowledge of the programmes and story.

Caroline Raphael, Commissioning Editor for Radio 4 Extra, says:
“Douglas was a true visionary and in his own glorious way
foresaw all the technology we now take for granted. Radio 4 Extra
is delighted to host this game alongside the first two series.
Hitchhiker’s fans will be rewarded for their loyalty over the
years and newer fans have a real, but fiendish, treat in
store. March 8th is a special day for the Galaxy so help us
celebrate it in the unique way that only BBC Radio 4 Extra
can.”

BBC Radio 4 Extra Publicity

***ends***

Notes to editors:

Transmission details:

BBC Radio 4 Extra is the sister network to BBC Radio 4.
Providing the best speech programmes from as far back as possible
as well as occasional new offerings for 24 hours a day. Radio 4
Extra carefully selects and curates broadcast drama, entertainment,
readings and features for those who love speech radio.

This single player game starts with lead character Arthur Dent
working his way through a series of different challenges and zones.
Players use a specially designed keyboard to enter their commands
and there are achievements to be won throughout the game by
completing a series of tasks. This interactive work of
fiction sees players visiting other planets, meeting aliens and
robots, and creating (or losing) the plot based on their decisions
and choices as they progress through the game. The game is
renowned for its difficulty and it never misses a chance to kill
players off in hilarious and infuriating ways.

The answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe and
everything is 42.